Movie Review: Joker (2019) Spoiler-Free!

What’s this? A post on friday? Well, yes. Yesterday, I started my 20th birthday off great, by going to the cinema and watching Joker the second it was released in the Netherlands. So, because I’m so early with watching this movie, I thought it would be nice to write a review about it. And since I wanted to get it out as soon as possible, I thought I’d dedicate an extra post to Joker and upload it today. Because this movie definitely deserves a post just about itself. So, if you want to know all my opinions on this movie, without any spoilers, definitely keep reading!

Joker (2019) tells the story of Arthur Fleck, a man who has been let down by society and is living a pretty rough life. He lives in Gotham City with his mother, where the gap between poor and rich keeps growing bigger and bigger, which he definitely notices. Arthur suffers from depression and other mental illnesses, combined with strange mannerisms that cause him to be considered an outcast and a freak. In this movie you follow some of the events that in the end cause Arthur to become the famous Joker, the clown prince of crime. However, not all things are how they appear to be.

There are a lot of aspects that I loved about this movie. First of all: Joaquin Phoenix. His acting throughout this movie was just amazing. He portrays the twisted soul that Arthur is so extremely well. You feel like you know the person on screen, yet he keeps surprising you. He makes you feel all the emotions he is feeling. It really is an Oscar-worthy performance.

The story in itself is so dark and deep, but so well told. The movie leaves a lot to visuals and doesn’t push the story into your face, but you’re figuring it out as you go along with the main character. And I feel like every little aspect actually plays a part in this movie. Like everything is important. The way they let the visuals speak for the story was beautiful. Just the little things, like only seeing Arthur walk up the big stairs when everything is going wrong, and only seeing him come down the stairs when things are looking good. That adds such an amazing extra layer to the viewing experience. I was thoroughly impressed throughout the entire movie, just by the visuals and the camera work.

The storyline also leaves a lot to interpret yourself, especially the ending. It’s almost an Inception-like ending. Right now I’m still wondering what it exactly meant, and I think I will never really have an answer to that. And that isn’t in an annoying, cliff-hanger kind of way, but just in a way that makes you remember this movie and keep thinking about it.

Another thing I noticed was the eye for detail in this movie. In the beginning of the film there is something on the news about superrats terrorizing Gotham City, and it doesn’t really play a part in the rest of the story. However, in a lot of scenes, you can see the superrats sneaking around in the dark. Just the fact that they thought of putting those little details in, shows how much care went into this movie.

The fact that this movie is a stand-alone movie kind of makes me sad. It isn’t a part of the DC universe. It’s just the story of a man who became the Joker. However, this also means that this Joker probably won’t appear in other DC movies, and that there probably won’t be a Joker 2. And I just really want to see more of Joaquin Phoenix’s version of the Joker, because his performance was golden.

One last thing that I thought this movie did so well, is that it made you feel for the main character. You understand so well how a person might end up doing such terrible things and you almost pity him, but you still know and feel that he is a terrible person. It doesn’t glorify or romanticize mental illness like other movies have done in the past. It shines a good light on today’s issues, without making them seem like something ‘good’.

I can only describe this movie as a cinematic masterpiece. There wasn’t a single negative thing that I could say about it, and usually I’m pretty good at finding things to nag about. So that tells you just how good this movie is. The storyline, the acting, the visuals, even into the most minor details, everything was so well executed. The only thing that I have left to say is: go see this movie.

Hi everyone, and welcome to Bottle of Happiness. This is my personal blog where I talk about everything I enjoy in life. You can expect anything from photography to beauty, lifestyle, DIY and fashion. There’s something fun for everyone. Have fun reading and I hope to see you again soon!